Beyond the Clock: Rethinking Time in Computing

Author: Denis Avetisyan

This review examines the hidden assumptions about time embedded within the Limits community and advocates for a more nuanced understanding of temporality in sustainable HCI.

The review process unfolds as a structured sequence, systematically evaluating submissions to ensure rigor and validity.

Explicitly addressing temporal assumptions is crucial for fostering equitable and future-oriented computing research and practice.

Despite a growing focus on long-term well-being within computing, assumptions about time and temporality often remain unexamined. This paper, ‘The Limits of Time’, investigates how implicit understandings of time shape research priorities and approaches within the LIMITS community-a group dedicated to fostering more sustainable and equitable technological futures. Through a systematic review of recent LIMITS scholarship, we identify five recurring engagements with time-from computing cycles to ecological durations-revealing embedded temporal assumptions across diverse research practices. Recognizing that explicit attention to temporality is crucial for realizing the community’s commitments, we ask: how might a more nuanced and pluralistic engagement with time unlock more just and sustainable pathways for computing?

Deconstructing the Clock: Beyond Standardized Time

The Gregorian calendar, now a global standard, arose from a historical need for synchronized agricultural practices and administrative efficiency, yet its widespread adoption often obscures the rich diversity of how different cultures perceive and organize time. While offering a consistent framework for scheduling and record-keeping, this emphasis on standardization frequently disregards the nuanced temporal frameworks embedded within traditional societies. Many Indigenous and non-Western cultures operate with cyclical or event-based timekeeping, where moments are defined by natural phenomena-like seasonal migrations or lunar cycles-or social occurrences-such as harvest festivals or religious observances. These systems aren’t merely alternative methods of measuring duration; they represent fundamentally different worldviews, where time is experienced as interwoven with cultural practices, spiritual beliefs, and ecological relationships – aspects often flattened or disregarded in the pursuit of a universally applicable, linear timescale.

Beyond simply marking the passage of hours, traditional timekeeping practices often reflect a worldview where time isn’t strictly linear. The resonant peal of Church bells, for instance, historically structured not only the day for religious observance but also communal life, its rhythm interwoven with agricultural cycles and social gatherings. Similarly, the Azan, the Islamic call to prayer, functions as a sonic anchor, repeatedly re-centering the faithful towards spiritual orientation rather than a relentless march forward. These auditory cues, unlike the standardized, abstract divisions of a clock, are experienced phenomenologically-felt in the body and embedded within cultural rituals-creating a cyclical, rather than strictly progressive, sense of temporality. Such systems demonstrate that time isn’t merely measured; it is lived, and its perception is profoundly shaped by cultural context and belief systems.

The spread of colonial powers historically involved not just political and economic dominance, but also a forceful synchronization with “Settler Time”-often based on European clockwork and calendar systems. This imposition frequently disregarded, and actively suppressed, the nuanced and ecologically-attuned temporal frameworks already existing within Indigenous and non-Western societies. Traditional timekeeping, frequently interwoven with agricultural cycles, celestial observations, or spiritual practices, was often deemed “primitive” or “inefficient,” leading to its systematic erosion. The consequences extended beyond mere scheduling conflicts; the disruption of these deeply embedded temporal systems contributed to broader cultural fragmentation, the loss of traditional knowledge, and a profound sense of alienation from ancestral practices, fundamentally altering worldviews and social structures for generations.

The phone's lock screen simultaneously displays both the Gregorian calendar date and its corresponding traditional lunar date. — The phone’s lock screen simultaneously displays both the Gregorian calendar date and its corresponding traditional lunar date.

Reclaiming the Cycles: Lunar Time in Practice

The Lunar Calendar differs from the Gregorian calendar by basing its year on twelve lunar cycles – approximately 354 days – and reconciling it with the solar year through the addition of leap months. This system integrates astronomical observations of both the moon’s phases and the sun’s position along the ecliptic, codified into twenty-four Solar Terms (節氣 / jiéqì). These terms mark specific points in the solar year reflecting changes in seasons, weather patterns, and agricultural cycles; examples include Lichun signifying the beginning of spring and Dongzhi marking the winter solstice. Consequently, the Lunar Calendar provides a timekeeping system deeply connected to natural phenomena, informing traditional agriculture, festivals, and daily life across many East Asian cultures.

The Chinese Diaspora Lunar Calendar Project addresses challenges faced by those disconnected from traditional timekeeping and cultural practices due to migration. The project provides resources – including digital calendars, educational materials, and community workshops – designed to facilitate the learning and application of the Lunar calendar within diaspora communities. This support aims to strengthen cultural identity through active engagement with ancestral traditions related to seasonal festivals, agricultural cycles, and symbolic representations inherent in the calendar system. By promoting continued practice, the project builds resilience against cultural loss and fosters intergenerational transmission of knowledge.

Woodblock printing serves as a primary medium for visually communicating Lunar New Year symbolism and astrological forecasts within diasporic communities. Historically, these prints depict the zodiac animal associated with the incoming year – in 2022, the Water Tiger – alongside relevant imagery representing its elemental attributes and predicted fortunes. The creation of these prints involves carving an image into a wood block, applying ink, and pressing it onto paper or fabric; this process necessitates specialized skills passed down through generations. Beyond aesthetic representation, the dissemination of these annual prints functions as a cultural practice reinforcing Lunar calendar awareness and providing a tangible connection to ancestral traditions for individuals within the diaspora.

Temporal Overlays: Calendars and the Digital Realm

Contemporary daily life frequently involves navigating multiple temporal systems concurrently. The Gregorian calendar, standardized for civil purposes and embedded in tools like iCal and Google Calendar for scheduling and task management, is commonly used alongside the Lunar calendar, which governs traditional holidays and cultural practices in many societies. This results in a blended temporal experience where individuals maintain schedules based on a solar calendar while simultaneously observing and participating in events dictated by a lunisolar system. The consistent interplay between these systems necessitates continual translation and reconciliation of dates, creating a complex interplay of temporal frameworks within routine activities.

The simultaneous use of calendars like the Gregorian and Lunar reveals a tension between chrononormativity – the societal expectation of linear, progressive time focused on productivity – and alternative temporal understandings. Chrononormativity frames time as a resource to be managed and optimized, prioritizing efficiency and future-oriented goals. However, calendars rooted in lunar cycles or other non-linear systems offer conceptions of time that emphasize cyclicality, ritual, and connection to natural rhythms, often de-emphasizing strict scheduling and quantifiable output. This coexistence demonstrates a fundamental conflict between systems prioritizing measurable progress and those valuing different modes of temporal experience and organization.

A systematic review of 159 papers presented at the LIMITS workshop between 2015 and 2025 revealed a significant, and growing, engagement with concepts of time within the field of Human-Computer Interaction. Specifically, 51 of the reviewed papers-representing approximately 32% of the total-directly addressed time, temporal assumptions, or utilized temporal metaphors in their research. This indicates an increasing interest in exploring alternative frameworks for understanding and designing with time, moving beyond traditional linear models and incorporating more nuanced perspectives on temporal experience.

Beyond Efficiency: Re-Evaluating Time in HCI

Much of Sustainable HCI research, despite its aims, inadvertently privileges a linear perception of time centered on maximizing productivity and efficiency. This focus often overlooks the inherent value in cyclical patterns – such as those found in natural ecosystems or long-term cultural practices – and the benefits of slower, more deliberate rhythms. By prioritizing speed and output, the field risks marginalizing technologies and interactions that support reflection, maintenance, or simply existing within time, rather than striving to overcome it. Consequently, a critical re-evaluation is needed to recognize that sustainable systems aren’t necessarily about doing more, but about relating to time in ways that are restorative, equitable, and acknowledge the inherent value of processes that unfold at different paces.

Emerging theoretical frameworks are prompting a reconsideration of how time is understood within human-computer interaction. Concepts like Crip Time, originating from disability studies, challenge the prioritization of speed and efficiency, instead valuing rhythms and pacing dictated by the needs of those with disabilities, and advocating for a more flexible approach to time management. Simultaneously, Deep Time, drawn from geology and environmental studies, encourages a shift in perspective to encompass vast timescales beyond human lifespans, fostering an appreciation for slow processes and long-term consequences. These frameworks collectively propose that focusing solely on optimizing for speed and productivity can be limiting, potentially overlooking the richness and value inherent in alternative temporal experiences and necessitating a broadened understanding of temporality in the design of interactive systems.

A decade of research showcased in publications from the LIMITS workshop (2015-2025) reveals a sustained and increasing focus on time within Human-Computer Interaction. While not always explicitly central, temporal considerations consistently appear as an underlying thread across diverse projects – initially present in explorations of user experience pacing and interruption management, but steadily broadening to encompass themes of long-term engagement, digital legacies, and the socio-cultural impacts of technology on lived rhythms. This trend suggests a maturing field beginning to move beyond purely efficiency-driven designs and toward a more nuanced understanding of how people relate to time through technological interaction, hinting at an emerging body of work actively questioning conventional temporal norms in HCI.

The exploration of temporal assumptions within computing-particularly concerning linearity and its impact on sustainable HCI-reveals a fundamental pattern. Every exploit starts with a question, not with intent. Paul Erdős eloquently captured this spirit when he stated: “A mathematician knows how to solve problems; an engineer knows how to design things.” The article demonstrates that questioning established ‘designs’ of time – the chrononormative structures governing research and development-is essential for uncovering limitations and designing more equitable futures. It’s not merely about accepting temporal frameworks but meticulously dismantling them, revealing hidden biases and paving the way for genuinely sustainable practices.

What Remains to Be Unwound?

The paper rightly identifies temporality as a quiet architect of limits within Human-Computer Interaction. But peeling back the layers of ‘time’ reveals not a single, elegant mechanism, but a tangled knot of assumptions. The invocation of ‘sustainable HCI’ feels almost… quaint. Sustainability implies a linear projection – a future to be preserved – yet the very notion of a fixed future is what’s under interrogation. Perhaps the more fruitful path lies not in optimizing within time, but in actively dismantling its presumed authority.

The brief nod towards ‘decolonial time’ hints at a deeper fracture. If time isn’t universal, but a construct woven by power, then attempts to ‘manage’ it become inherently political acts. The field should now grapple with the uncomfortable question: whose time is being optimized, and at whose expense? Simply acknowledging ‘non-linear time’ isn’t enough; the challenge is to design systems that genuinely resist the imposition of a singular temporal order.

Ultimately, this isn’t about finding better ways to schedule tasks. It’s about recognizing that the very structure of ‘before’ and ‘after’ is open to revision. The pursuit of ‘limits’ demands a willingness to break them, and few limits are as deeply ingrained – and rarely questioned – as the passage of time itself. A future for sustainable HCI may well depend on its capacity to forget everything it thinks it knows about what comes next.

Original article: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.13138.pdf

Contact the author: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avetisyan/

Deconstructing the Clock: Beyond Standardized Time

Reclaiming the Cycles: Lunar Time in Practice

Temporal Overlays: Calendars and the Digital Realm

Beyond Efficiency: Re-Evaluating Time in HCI

What Remains to Be Unwound?

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